The National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah and Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi joined forces to recommend the removal of Kitui East MP Nimrod Mbai from his position as the Chairperson of the Public Petitions Committee.
This was a surprising twist of events considering the recent tensions between the Kenya Kwanza and the Azimio wings.
The recommendation came as Nimrod Mbai was expected to address a crucial petition in parliament. The petition concerns compensation for land and property acquired by the government along the Kibwezi-Kitui road.
However, his absence from the proceedings caught the attention of Speaker Moses Wetangula. The speaker demanded an explanation from the house leadership regarding Mbai’s repeated failure to attend important parliamentary sessions.
Addressing the Speaker, Wandayi expressed concern over the high number of unattended issues by the Public Petitions Committee. He directly linked it to Mbai’s continuous absence from parliamentary sessions.
Speaker Wetangula shared his concern, stating that the absence of the committee’s leadership, led by Mbai, has become a serious issue.
Wandayi proposed that the Legislation Committee be convened promptly to comprehensively deal with the matter. Ichung’wah echoed his sentiments. He observed that Mbai’s absence had left parliamentary leadership with no choice but to take decisive action.
Ichung’wah reminded everyone that any committee chair who fails to take their responsibilities seriously can be impeached by the members, and a replacement elected. He assured that he would make himself available to ensure appropriate action is taken against Mbai.
The Kikuyu MP also highlighted that out of all the committee members, only Baringo Central MP Joshua Kandi has been consistently attending the committee meetings.
Speaker Wetang’ula expressed regret over Mbai’s actions. He stated that the MP had let down the people of Kenya and must be held accountable for it. He emphasized that Kenyans come to the Parliament with hope that their issues will be resolved. The continuous absence of committee leadership therefore undermines that trust.
The Kitui East MP is also in the limelight after he was caught on camera assaulting a Kenya Power employee. He was arrested and subsequently arraigned in court on charges of assault.
The alliance between Kimani Ichung’wah and Opiyo Wandayi in recommending the ouster of MP Nimrod Mbai is noteworthy because the two leaders had been at odds since their rise to Parliamentary leadership in 2022.
Their differences were mainly attributed to their loyalty to their respective Party leaders – President William Ruto and Azimio leader Raila Odinga. They had previously clashed over issues such as anti-government protests staged by the Azimio Coalition. The also clashed during the passage of the Finance Bill.
